1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to a system and process for the production of alcohols. More specifically, the field of invention relates to direct catalytic hydration of olefins to produce associated alcohols.
2. Description of the Related Art
The hydration of olefins to alcohols, and specifically the hydration of butenes to butanols, is a commercially important reaction. Alcohols from olefins have several important industrial applications. Alcohols, including butanols, are both solvents and chemical intermediaries for producing ketones, esters and ethers. Butanols are potentially useful as gasoline fuel-blending additives, which is a significant consumer market. Butanols can act as a fuel expander, an octane booster and an oxygenator similar to the roles played currently by ethanol and MTBE.
In spite of the currently available processes, there is no particularly effective route to produce mixed butanols economically. Many processes require pretreating feeds to isolate specific types of butenes. The conversion reactions often form mixtures of alcohols with water that require separate separations steps. The single-pass conversion rate for olefin hydration is very low—less than 10% in some cases.